Texas Children’s Orthopedics Department is happy to announce the hospital’s first Orthopedic Surgery Physician Assistant Fellowship Program. The 12-month program is the first of its kind in the country, offering didactic and clinical pediatric-specific orthopedic surgery subspecialty training to physician assistants.

“The Department of Orthopedic Surgery is excited to begin its brand new Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery Fellowship Program for Physician Assistants,” said Orthopedic Surgery Fellowship Co-Director Kolby Buckner. “Through this program we hope to cultivate future leaders in the field of pediatric orthopedics and champions for the physician assistant profession.”

The program includes 10 months of clinical pediatric orthopedic surgical subspecialty experience with designated time for research. The remaining two months of the program are elective months, one month for each elective. Each participating fellow will determine, upon availability, the surgical subspecialty for their final two months in the program. All training will be provided within the Texas Children’s Hospital system, both in the medical center and surrounding locations, through the direct delegation and supervision of department supervising physicians.

“We hope to recruit and train highly competent Physician Assistants to provide world-class orthopedic care to our patients at Texas Children’s Hospital,” said Chief of Orthopedic Surgery Dr. John Dormans. “At Texas Children’s Hospital we continually strive to advance the field of pediatric orthopedics, and we believe this program plays an integral role in that mission.”

Click here to apply for the Orthopedic Surgery Physician Assistant Fellowship Program and here for more details about the program.

More about Texas Children’s Hospital and the Department of Orthopedics

Texas Children’s Hospital is the largest pediatric hospital in the country and is ranked No. 4 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to the hospital and clinics in the Texas Medical Center, Texas Children’s has two full-service children’s hospitals in our communities – Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, the latter of which will open outpatient services this fall. The full-service hospital will open in 2017.

The Department of Orthopedic Surgery sees patients at eight locations across the greater Houston area. These community locations offer a unique educational experience for physician assistant fellows without the competition of outside learners.

“It is a new day for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital,” Dormans said. “Our department is excited to be expanding its faculty ranks and collaborating across the hospital to create the best combination of musculoskeletal, sports medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, radiology and genetics professionals in the United States.”